Akosua Amo-Adem. Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Better Angels: A Parable

By Andrea Scott

Better Angels: A Parable is a story that is not uniquely Canadian but it will resonate with audiences due to its timely arrival. Since the play is about Modern Day Slavery (otherwise known as ‘Day Slavery’) it complements the challenges Canada is having with the Temporary Foreign Workers issue facing the nation. Not only does it speak to Canadians experiencing a difficult job market but it also addresses the issues of having a foreign worker in one’s home when no Canadian wants the job because of poor wages and intransigent, demanding employers.

Those employers are also our peers, people in their 30’s with small children who have better than average jobs who want live-in care but not willing to always pay industry standard wages.

On the other side is the employee/slave who comes to Canada expecting to make a living and is locked in invisible handcuffs. There are numerous stories about people moving here from Africa, the West Indies, the Philippines and Asia to work and being taken advantage of by family members and strangers once in the country. With landlines practically obsolete in most homes and sometimes a language barrier these people become isolated and alienated in metropolises like Toronto and Vancouver.

When Leila and Greg hire a woman from Ghana to take care of their home and children they think they’ve put one over on a simple country girl. Unbeknownst to them, she is a disciple of the spider god, Anansi, and will use her wits to turn the tables on them.

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"Tight, taut writing…Better Angels tells a hard story with style and a twist."
CUIT 89.5Lynn Slotkin

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"Better Angels: A Parable is a compelling morality tale of modern-day slavery and a young woman’s action to regain her freedom."
Life with More CowbellCate McKim

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"a play that will make you angry — righteously angry. You will spend the hour fuming, shifting in your seat (and not only because you’re in the backspace at the Passe Muraille), wishing comeuppance and seeking vindication. For all these reasons, Better Angels is worth watching"
Mooney on TheatreSamantha Wu

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NNNN - "Andrea Scott’s dark comedy about a young woman from Ghana (Akosua Amo-Adem) brought to Canada to be nanny/housekeeper to a self-involved, self-impressed couple (Sascha Cole and Peyson Rock) offers some intentionally cringeworthy moments... the production is sharp and nasty..."
NOW MagazineJon Kaplan